Baltimore City Power Rankings

⬆︎ Rich Assholes Elon Musk showed up in Maryland the other day digging a hole, and Gov. Hogan heartily approved. "Get hyped," the governor tweeted, referring to Musk's The Boring Company and his plans to dig an underground hyperloop along MD RT 295. Meanwhile, Mayor Catherine Pugh sent a love letter...

↑ City Springs Elementary/Middle and Cardinal Shehan School students At City Springs Elementary/Middle, students in Wyatt Oroke's humanities class helped raise thousands of dollars for Hurricane Harvey relief. The story got the attention of "The Ellen Show," which featured a segment on Oroke and...

↑ Shorty Davis Last week, activist, organizer, artist, homeless advocate, and cook Duane "Shorty" Davis announced his massive, tank-like grill had been stolen. It spread across social media as many tried to raise awareness for locating it, and even media outlets that've long seen Shorty as a thorn...

⬆︎ Baltimore Clayworks Over the summer we all thought Baltimore Clayworks was gonna be gone for good—with over $1 million in debt and a failed attempt to leverage the sale of their buildings in order to stay open, its board decided abruptly to close and file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. But after...

↑ The Ravens Who Kneeled Following outlandish and un-American remarks by President Donald Trump that any player who protests during the "Star-Spangled Banner" is a "son of a bitch" and should be fired, a group of more than a dozen Ravens took a knee during the anthem before a game against the Jacksonville...

↑ CASA de Maryland Last week, right as an eager Attorney General Jeff Sessions—a longtime opponent of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program—announced Trump's decision to repeal DACA, which temporarily protects people who arrived in the U.S. as children, CASA de Maryland and other immigrants'...

↑ Tent City The 10-day encampment in front of City Hall organized by Southern Christian Leadership Conference, homeless activists, and a number of other groups ended last week when Mayor Catherine Pugh asked that the tents be removed and gave 55 of the tenants housing in the former William Pinderhughes...

⬆︎ Baltimore Bloc Baltimore came out in a big way for a rally-turned-impromptu-march in solidarity with Charlottesville. On Sunday, about a thousand people took to the streets of Charles Village following a rally at Wyman Park Dell near the Lee-Jackson Monument. Organized by Baltimore Bloc, the...

⬆︎ Erricka Bridgeford Bridgeford, the public face of Baltimore Ceasefire, had a lot on her plate this weekend, but she handled it with grace. She said what needed to be said—focusing on community, trauma, and joy—rather than what was "supposed" to be said, showed up at the spot of the first homicide...

⬆︎ The West Family The family members of Tyrone West, a man killed in police custody in July 2013, have been tireless and dedicated fighters for police accountability and are in many ways the bedrock of Baltimore's uprising-fueled protest movement. Last week, the family settled a wrongful death...

⬆︎ Artscape Though the sun didn't always cooperate and the weather was kind of gross when it did (see below), another Artscape has come and gone, bringing together thousands of Baltimoreans to enjoy art, games, food, drinks, music, and much more. Credit to BOPA for picking two great headliners...

⬆︎ Ryan Dorsey and Brandon Scott Using the City Paper's Facebook page as a platform, District 3 Councilman Dorsey roasted a comment about cops being the "people who take care of this city." Eighty percent of Baltimore police officers live outside the city, Dorsey said, and the taxpayers who fund...

↑ ADAPT Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today has long been known for militancy and bad-ass, bodies-on-the-line civil disobedience, but it's been decades since the group brought such power and poignancy to an issue that affects everyone. Members staged a "die-in" and mobbed Senate Majority...

↑ Pride This year Pride move to the Station North/Old Goucher area and felt more alive, exciting, and inclusive. Mount Vernon still got a glimpse of Pride thanks to the parade—shout out to, among others, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance and the Answer Coalition for decorating a car with signs...

↑ Md Attorney General Brian E. Frosh Frosh and D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine are filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, saying that Trump is in violation of the Constitution's Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses. Those rules were put in place to keep the president's financial...

↑ Creek Boyz Woodlawn rap group Creek Boyz, consisting of J Reezy, Turk P Diddy, Young Fedi Mula, and ETS Breeze, have been slowly gaining interest for a few months now thanks to their touching, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony-esque song, 'With My Team.' You've no doubt heard it on 92Q and playing off kids'...

⬆︎ The Preakness Bemoaning the state of Pimlico Race Course has become an annual tradition for the Stronach Group, the owners of the North Baltimore track and Laurel Park. But once again Stronach touted a record-breaking crowd and betting handle for the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse...

⬆︎ "The Marc Steiner Show" "The Marc Steiner Show," which has been on the air in some form for 24 years and is a friend to City Paper, will be going off the air at the end of July, according to Steiner and WEAA. The end of the Steiner Show is a bomb to Baltimore radio: Steiner has undoubtedly informed...